n. a vehicular brake that operates by compressed air; especially for heavy vehicles

n. a small parachute or articulated flap to reduce the speed of an aircraft

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Examples

Now that I have a garage I can get to work installing that and also doing the fender/mudflap/airbrake eliminator, the aluminum footpegs, the clear taillight, and finally removing the big catfish lower lip from under the nose of the bike.

From "Erie Railroad Magazine" Volume 24 (April 1928), No. 2, pp. On the last day of April [1928] occurs the 28th anniversary of the death of Casey Jones, probably the most famous of a long line of locomotive engineer heroes who have died at their post of duty, one hand on the whistle and the other on the airbrake lever.

This model had a retractable airbrake mounted well aft, almost underneath the exhaust nozzles, and the undercarriage folded backward and inward instead of forward and inward: there were also six underwing missile pylons, which had been adapted to sling centre-line fuel tanks to complement the wing pods.

Likewise, when George Westinghouse, inventor of the airbrake, having finally persuaded the directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad, after many futile attempts in other directions, to grant him an opportunity to try out his invention, and, trying it out -- on a string of cars near

When they got to that she grips the seat in front and glues her eyes on them two that was swappin 'the long, lingerin' breakaway tackles, and every once in awhile she heaves up a sigh like cuttin 'out an airbrake.

He had time to yell at his fireman, to fling himself upon the throttle-bar and to set the airbrake before he began to turn Irish handsprings down the embankment; but the wrecking crew camped two whole days at Delhi gathering up the debris.

Being a brakeman in the days before the automatic airbrake was pretty dangerous work, but this guy's blues don't seem too bad: after all, he'll be in New Orleans eating dinner and picking up strange women by nightfall.